The former executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine has formally launched her campaign for U.S. Senate.

Shenna Bellows, who's seeking the Democratic Party nomination to challenge three-term Republican Susan Collins, told supporters Wednesday in Ellsworth that the nation needs more "courage and honesty" in Washington.

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"Good people working together to create fundamental change, just like we did on same-day voter registration, just like we did on the Freedom to Marry, and just like we did on privacy rights. Together we can make a difference. Together we can change the world. The future starts now," Bellows told the crowd of supporters.

She held the kickoff event in Ellsworth, next to the town of Hancock, where she grew up.

That was followed by events in Portland, Lewiston and Eliot, along with a rally Thursday in Presque Isle.

The 38-year-old from Manchester is the first to announce a challenge to Collins.Bellows has never run for public office, but this will not be her first campaign.

She helped lead the ballot-measure campaign to approve same-sex marriage in Maine last year.